A's, Brent Rooker Agree to Extension

Jason Burke | Jan 7, 2025

Aug 30, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker (25) reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Texas Rangers in the seventh inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

With Brent Rooker in Sacramento to take in some of the sights of the new city he will be playing in for the next three or four seasons, it has been reported by Ken Rosenthal that he and the Athletics are in agreement on an extension for five years and $60 million that includes a vesting option that could take the contract to six years and $90 million.

Designated hitter/outfielder Brent Rooker in agreement with A’s on five-year, $60M extension, source tells @TheAthletic. Vesting option can take the deal to six years, $90M.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 7, 2025

We have been trying to figure out what an extension for Rooker would look like, and had settled on five years, taking him to his age 34 season, for between $88-100 million. We missed a bit on the front part, but landed pretty safely with the inclusion of the vesting option, which is for $22 million as a base, but can escalate, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

This would certainly appear to be a great deal for the A's, since Rooker is one of the ten best hitters in baseball entering 2025, but it's worth remembering that he was also set for his first round of arbitration this season, and projected to make $5.1 million in '25, with that figure going up, but not to his market rate, for the two following years until he reached free agency.

We'll have to wait on the contract specifics to figure out how this will impact the A's payroll situation in 2025. Even with Rooker's projected $5.1 million salary, the team was still projected to be about $15 million short of their goal of $105 million, which is believed to be the number that would have them avoid a grievance from the MLBPA.

For Rooker, this has to be special. At the All Star Game in 2023, he talked about the times that he wondered if he was good enough to play at the big league level and the self doubt that crept in during his years in the minor leagues.

He got a real shot in 2023 with the green and gold, and he has turned that into a contract extension just two years later. He has been a huge part of the A's turnaround, and is a great presence in the clubhouse.

This is a big deal for the A's, who have now handed out two $60+ million deals in the same offseason.